A man drowned Saturday night saving his 3-year-old child, who had fallen from a bridge into a lake, according to the Becker County Sheriff's Office.
Authorities identified the father as Christopher Franklin Nicholas Schultz, 31, of Frazee, Minnesota.
Shortly before 8:30 p.m. Saturday, deputies received a report of a possible drowning at Long Bridge at Dead Shot Bay in Detroit Lakes.
When deputies arrived they were told a 3-year-old child had fallen from the bridge into the water. The child's father, Schultz, jumped into the water to help the child. Schultz began to struggle while keeping the child above water. Bystanders went into the water and brought the child to shore, but Schultz never resurfaced.
"Guy sacrificed his life to make sure his kid could see another day, wasn't thinking anything other than that," reflected Schultz's friend Matthew Clark. "Without hesitation, jumping right in... that's heroic. To me, that's an honorable death, it really is."
Officers from the Detroit Lakes Police Department and Becker County Sheriff's Office, along with St. Mary's EMS personnel, immediately began searching for Schultz. Shortly after 9:00 p.m., the Becker County Dive Rescue Team along with a fisherman recovered his body.
Schultz was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The child was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. A GoFundMe has been set up for the family.